Folded towelette guide and feed mechanism

ABSTRACT

Combination guide and feed means for a longitudinally folded towelette web comprises a convex cylindrical guide surface over which the folded web is slidably pulled by a feed pass wherein a rubber roller resiliently presses the folded web against the friction surface of a driven feed roller.

[111 3,803,798 [451 Apr. 16,1974

United States Patent Clancy I 2,906,527 9/1959 Blain 3,518,810 7/1970 Steeves...... 3,481,099 12/1969 Primary Examiner-Travis S. McGehee Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Strauch, Nolan, Neale, Nies & Kurz [73] Assignee: Colgate-Palmolive Company, New

York, N.Y.

[22] Filed: Sept. 11, 1972 [21] App]. No.: 287,732

ABSTRACT Combination guide and feed means for a longitudinally folded towelette web comprises a convex cylindrical guide surface over which the folded web is slidably pulled by a feed pass wherein a rubber roller re- 04 6 20 8 H N 1 x 6 .aim 1 m .w .m P mul3 m m 2 W u m C2 W ""1 MZU U.// 3 "M 5, mur. Ha e 5 hf C d sum UIF .11.] 2 8 555 [[1 siliently presses the folded web against the friction sur- References Cited I U ITED STATES PATENTS face of a driven feed roller.

9/1972 I I A 53/120 9 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures ill-iv! FIG. I

MTENTEDAPR 16 1914 FM. 2 I

FOLDED TOWELETTE GUIDE AND FEED MECHANISM This invention relates to automatic machinery for the packaging of folded towelettes in individual envelopes,

and is particularly directed to mechanism for folding and feeding towelette material.

The invention comprises in essence an improvement over the towelette folding and feeding apparatus disclosed in FIGS. 10-14 of US. letters Patent to Clancy I No. 3,48l,099 and a major advantage of the invention is a novel improved guide and feed arrangement between the longitudinal folding and lateral folding mechanisms. I

A further advantage of the invention is a novel combination guide and feed arrangement wherein a longitudinally folded towelette web slides over a curved guide which it leaves substantially tangentially and passes directly into a special feed pass where is resiliently biased against the friction surface of a driven feed roller.

Further advantages of the invention will appear as the description proceeds in connection with the appended claims and the annexed drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF baAwrnos FIG. 1 is an elevation somewhat diagrammatic showing the invention in a preferred embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a plan view taken generally at line 2-2 of FIG. 1 showing the folded towelette web feed means;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary elevation showing the towelette fold regions; v

FIG. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of FIG. 3 showing the action of the longitudinal folder; and

FIG. 5 is a plan view partly in section showing the longitudinally folded towelette as it passes over' the curved guide surface of FIG. 1.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a structural arrangement wherein a flat continuous towelette web of absorbent paper or like fibrous material drawn from a supply roll (not shown) passesthrough a longitudinal folding funnel l 1 wherein the web is gradually accordion folded into longitudinal panels which are superposed as shown at 12 in FIG. 5 as they leave the folder and approach guide roller 13.

1 and is moving vertically downwardly when it leaves the guide member '14 at the right side of FIG. 1.

After leaving .the fixed guide member 14 the folded web passes between a continuously driven feed roller 16 which rotates about a fixed axis and as shown in FIG. 2 has a central knurled or otherwise roughened or friction producing annular peripheral region 17. The folded web 12 is resiliently biased against the feed roller 16 as by means of an idler roller 18 mounted-on a 1 eters in the apparatus illustrated in the drawing being about 6:1.

Below feed roller 16 the folded web extends through a guide 23 delivering it into a rotary knife station where a rotating knife member 24 having a sharp edge 25 coacting with a fixed edge member 26 severs the web section into towelettes 27 of predetermined length.

Below the knife assembly, each severed towelette 27 in turn enters guide'28'apertured to accommodate a feed roller pass wherein rollers 29 which are geared together frictionally grip opposite sides of the towelette and feed it'away from the knife. At the lower end of guide 28 is another feed roller pass wherein rollers 31 which are geared together frictionally grip the opposite sides of towelette 27 and feed it into the guide chute 32 of a first fold station 33.

Feed rollers 16 and 29 are continuously driven at the same peripheral speed, as by a common chain and associated sprocket drive. Feed rollers 29 keep the web taut during the knife action. Feed rollers 31, however, are driven at a much higher peripheral speed than rollers 29, and the spacing between the .roller pass at 29 and the roller pass at 31 is such that rollers 31 start fast feed of the towelette 27 before the trailing end of the towelette leaves rollers 29. Rollers 29 are driven-through a unidirectional overrunning clutch that enables the severed towelette to be pulled through pass 29 by the action of fast drive rollers 31 faster than it would be driven by rollers 29.

The purpose of this speed-up of towelette 27 is to advance each towelette quickly into the first fold station and subject it to the folding action before the next towelette enters the roller pass at 31, as will appear.

At the lower end of chute 32 is a stop 34 which may be the bottom of the chute, or may be an adjustable projetion for different length towelettes, and this arrests travel of-towelette 27. The location of stop 34 is preferably such that the leading edge of the towelette engages the stop just as the trailing edge leaves rollers 31.

Now the lowermost towelette 27 is stopped in the vertical position of FIG. 1. A horizontal folding blade 35 is slidably mounted in a guide 36 and adapted to be reciprocated back and forth by an arm 37 carried by rock shaft 38 and having a pin and slot slide pivot connection at 39 with the blade. A suitable drive mechanism (not shown) is provided for rocking shaft 38 to shift arm 37 between its full and dotted line positions of FIG. 1. I

;As blade 35 moves to the right in FIG. 1, it engages the central part of towelette 27 and displaces it in folding condition through an idler roller pass formed by rollers 39 into a horizontal chute 41 of such size as to frictionally receive and hold the in-thrust first-folded towelette indicated at 42 in dotted lines in FIG. 1.

Chute 41' is formed in vertical alignment with a slotted top wall 43 and a slotted bottom wall having depending guide members providing a folded towelette directing passage and the folded towelette 42 is now resting in position below the vertically reciprocable final fold blade 44 driven by lever 45. As balde 44 descends it displaces and again folds the towelette into final form while thrusting it into the upwardly open envelope 46 disposed therebeneath.

Folding blades 35 and 44 are intermittently operated in such synchronism with each other and the fast feed rolls 29 and with the intermittent disposition of envelopes 46 at the final fold station that while blade 44 is thrusting the towelette into the envelope during a dwell period rollers 29 are feeding a towelette into chute 32 with blade 35 retracted.

The longitudinal folding device 11 may be similar to that disclosed in said Clancy patent, and the dual lateral folding mechanisms may also be the same as disclosed in said Clancy patent.

In the invention it has been found that the combination of the arcuate guide for the folded web and the improved feed roller associated therewith provides for more efficient and positive operation of the entire towelette folding mechanism. The term friction surfaced used in the claims is intended to denote any knurling, roughing or like treatment or coating or layer on the feed roller surface.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by letters Patent is:

1. Appartus for individually packaging folded towelettes in envelopes wherein a longitudinally folded web from a folding funnel is guided and fed into a station where individual towelette lengths are severed from the leading end, laterally folded and inserted into envelopes, characterized by the combination of guide means defining substantially cylindrical smooth guide surface means of relatively large diameter having one end located to directly tangentially receive the folded web leaving said funnel and over which said longitudinally folded web is drawn by continuous feed means, and said continuous feed means comprising a rotatable friction surfaced driven feedroller of relatively small diameter located to continuously draw said folded web from the other end of said guide surface means in a direction substantially tangential to said guide surface means and an idler roller resiliently biasing said longitudinally folded web against said driven roller.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said funnel is disposed vertically with its outlet at the upper end and said one end of said guide surface is disposed directly above said funnel outlet.

3. The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein said guide surface is appreciably wider than the longitudinally folded web.

4. The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein said 6. Apparatus for individually packaging folded towelettes in envelopes wherein the leading end of a web is first longitudinally folded in a folding funnel and then guided and fed into a station where individual towelette lengths are severed from the leading end, laterally folded and inserted into envelopes, said guide and feed means comprising means defining a convex smooth cylindrical guide surface means of relatively large diameter wider than the longitudinally folded web tangentially located at one side of said guide surface with respect to the web leaving said funnel, said longitudinally folded web being closely engaged over a sector of said cylindrical surface means, continuous feed means for said folded web comprising at least one rotatably mounted friction surfaced continuously driven feed roller of relatively small diameter disposed to continuously draw said folded web tangentially from the end of said sector at which said web leaves, rotary knife means at said station wherein predetermined lengths of said continuously moving longitudinally folded web are severed in succession from the leading end of said web, and means at said station for transversely folding each severed length of web upon itself and thrusting it into an envelope.

7. The apparatus defined in claim 6, wherein said driven feed roller surface is knurled.

8. An apparatus comrpising a folding funnel having a wide inlet for a flat elongated continuous towelette web of paper and a restricted outlet for the longitudinally folded web, means providing substantially cylindrical smooth metal guide surface means of relatively large diameter adjacent to said restricted outlet and in tangential alignment thereto at one end of said guide surface whereby the longitudinally folded web moving out of the restricted outlet travels straight fromthe funnel to its place of first engagement with said smooth guide surface means, a friction surfaced driven feed roller of relatively small diameter mounted for rotation adjacent to the other end of said guide surface to continuously draw the web tangentially from said surface means whereby the longitudinally folded web moving from said surface means travels straight to and past the friction surface of said feed roller, and an idler roller resiliently biasing said folded web against said driven roller at the place of tangential contact therewith, said driven feed roller and idler roller constituting the means for pulling said web through said folding funnel and over said guide surface means.

9. An apparatus comprising a folding funnel having a wide inlet for a flat elongated continuous towelette web of paper and a restricted outlet for the longitudinally folded web, a fixed arcuate sheet metal guide having a substantially cylindrical smooth guide surface of relatively large diameter mounted adjacent to said restricted outlet and in tangential alignment thereto at one side of said guide surface whereby the longitudinally folded web moving out of the restricted outlet travels straight from the funnel to its place of first engagement with said smooth guide surface, a friction surfaced driven feed roller of relatively small diameter mounted for rotation adjacent to the diametrically opposed side of said guide surface in tangential alignment thereto whereby the longitudinally folded web moving from said surface travels straight to and past the friction surface of said feed roller, and an idler roller resiliently biasing said folded web against said driven roller atthe place of tangential contact therewith, said driven feed roller and idler roller constituting the means for pulling said web through said folding funnel and over said guide surface. 

1. Appartus for individually packaging folded towelettes in envelopes wherein a longitudinally folded web from a folding funnel is guided and fed into a station where individual towelette lengths are severed from the leading end, laterally folded and inserted into envelopes, characterized by the combination of guide means defining substantially cylindrical smooth guide surface means of relatively large diameter having one end located to directly tangentially receive the folded web leaving said funnel and over which said longitudinally folded web is drawn by continuous feed means, and said continuous feed means comprising a rotatable friction surfaced driven feed roller of relatively small diameter located to continuously draw said folded web from the other end of said guide surface means in a direction substantially tangential to said guide surface means and an idler roller resiliently biasing said longitudinally folded web against said driven roller.
 2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said funnel is disposed vertically with its outlet at the upper end and said one end of said guide surface is disposed directly above said funnel outlet.
 3. The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein said guide surface is appreciably wider than the longitudinally folded web.
 4. The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein said idler roller has a resilient surface.
 5. In the apparatus defined in claim 1, said guide means comprising a fixed cylindrical guide surface curved about a generally horizontal axis located above the folding funnel and said feed means.
 6. Apparatus for individually packaging folded towelettes in envelopes wherein the leading end of a web is first longitudinally folded in a folding funnel and then guided and fed into a station where individual towelette lengths are severed from the leading end, laterally folded and inserted into envelopes, said guide and feed means comprising means defining a convex smooth cylindrical guide surface means of relatively large diameter wider than the longitudinally folded web tangentially located at one side of said guide surface with respect to the web leaving said funnel, said longitudinally folded web being closely engaged over a sector of said cylindrical surface means, continuous feed means for said folded web comprising at least one rotatably mounted friction surfaced continuously driven feed roller of relatively small diameter disposed to continuously draw said folded web tangentially from the end of said sector at which said web leaves, rotary knife means at said station wherein predetermined lengths of said continuously moving longitudinally folded web are severed in succession from the leading end of said web, and means at said station for transversely folding each severed length of web upon itself and thrusting it into an envelope.
 7. The apparatus defined in claim 6, wherein said driven feed roller surface is knurled.
 8. An apparatus comrpising a folding funnEl having a wide inlet for a flat elongated continuous towelette web of paper and a restricted outlet for the longitudinally folded web, means providing substantially cylindrical smooth metal guide surface means of relatively large diameter adjacent to said restricted outlet and in tangential alignment thereto at one end of said guide surface whereby the longitudinally folded web moving out of the restricted outlet travels straight from the funnel to its place of first engagement with said smooth guide surface means, a friction surfaced driven feed roller of relatively small diameter mounted for rotation adjacent to the other end of said guide surface to continuously draw the web tangentially from said surface means whereby the longitudinally folded web moving from said surface means travels straight to and past the friction surface of said feed roller, and an idler roller resiliently biasing said folded web against said driven roller at the place of tangential contact therewith, said driven feed roller and idler roller constituting the means for pulling said web through said folding funnel and over said guide surface means.
 9. An apparatus comprising a folding funnel having a wide inlet for a flat elongated continuous towelette web of paper and a restricted outlet for the longitudinally folded web, a fixed arcuate sheet metal guide having a substantially cylindrical smooth guide surface of relatively large diameter mounted adjacent to said restricted outlet and in tangential alignment thereto at one side of said guide surface whereby the longitudinally folded web moving out of the restricted outlet travels straight from the funnel to its place of first engagement with said smooth guide surface, a friction surfaced driven feed roller of relatively small diameter mounted for rotation adjacent to the diametrically opposed side of said guide surface in tangential alignment thereto whereby the longitudinally folded web moving from said surface travels straight to and past the friction surface of said feed roller, and an idler roller resiliently biasing said folded web against said driven roller at the place of tangential contact therewith, said driven feed roller and idler roller constituting the means for pulling said web through said folding funnel and over said guide surface. 